Coffee, rum and walnut loaf cake

Thanks goodness, we are now on a midterm break for a week. No more early hectic mornings, when I run around the house, waking everyone up and nagging them to eat their breakfast faster "because we don't have all the time in the world". We don't have any big plans for the week ahead, just relaxing, maybe having some playdates and going out to cafes.

We were walking home after school today, and a few snowflakes were dancing in the air. Eddie and his friend J were trying to catch them. I wonder whether we'd get some snow after all. We haven't been able to build a snowman for several years.

To celebrate a mini-break from school, I baked a coffee cake. This is a twist on a classic coffee walnut cake, with an extra added booze. I have a bottle of Bacardi Oakheart spiced rum, which takes space in the drinks cabinet. I bought it last year for using in a recipe, but only needed a little bit. I imagine this rum will last a loooong time until I manage to use it all. 

Coffee, rum and walnut cake

Ingredients:

150g muscovado sugar

3 medium eggs

1tsp baking powder

60ml spiced rum

1tsp cinnamon, ground

200g self-raising flour

150g butter, melted and slightly cooled

3tsp instant coffee+ 3tbsp hot water

70g walnuts + more for the decoration

whipped cream frosting (about 3tbsp)

In a deep mixing bowl beat 3 eggs with muscovado sugar. Add the baking powder, rum, cinnamon and flour. Melt the butter, let it cool a bit, then add to the cake mix. In a small cup pour hot water over instant coffee. Add to the cake mix together with chopped walnuts. Mix well.

Spoon the cake dough into a buttered loaf cake tin. Place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for 50+ minutes. Once the wooden toothpick comes clean, the cake is ready.

Let it cool before decorating with frosting and walnut pieces.

I was planning to make my own buttercream, but realised that I didn't have enough butter for that, so used the remains of the ready-made whipped cream frosting, left over from the cake I baked earlier this week.

Coffee flavours go well with rum and walnuts. It is a perfect cake to go with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. 

I used Little's vanilla-flavoured instant coffee in this recipe, which was one of the new products in the latest Degustabox. It is a delicious instant coffee with a warm sweet aroma and flavour of vanilla.
But if you don't have this flavoured instant coffee, any other variety will do. 

Adding this recipe to #KitchenClearout linky run by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.